VIDEO: Analysis of last scrimmages

West Brook’s Corry McGill, No. 6, and Port Neches-Groves’ Jack Giblin, No. 13, watch the ball escape both their grasps during Friday’s scrimmage. The West Brook and Port Neches-Groves high school football teams scrimmaged at the Carrol A. “Butch” Thomas Stadium on Friday afternoon. Photo taken Friday 8/22/14 Jake Daniels/@JakeD_in_SETX Photo: Jake Daniels

PN-G 28, West Brook 21 (three quarters)

What went well for PN-G:

Junior Jack Giblin finished with eight catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Although Brandon Faircloth said there is no primary receiver on this team, the Indians are spoiled in skill position players with Giblin, Kaleb Sparks, Brant Halfin and Keynel McZeal.

Senior linebacker Michael Hughes flew around the field making plays against West Brook. Although the Bruins have one of the beefiest offensive lines in the area (seriously, they’re huge), the PN-G defense was able to largely contain West Brook in the final two quarters. The Bruins’ biggest run was for 12 yards. Hughes tipped a pass late in the game and it was *this* close to being picked off.

With Brant Halfin getting the week off (he had a hip flexor earlier in the week and should be fine for Week 1), junior Kody Cropper and sophomore Jace Runnels got the call and performed well. Cropper finished with 54 yards on 15 carries and a score and Runnels gained 48 yards on eight carries with a touchdown.

What didn’t go so well:

Lots of penalties. Some of them were subjective, but some, like too many men on the field, can be fixed. Faircloth said that’ll be a point of emphasis in practice.

Dropped passes. Just by watching film and knowing his size, I think McZeal has a ton of upside given that he’s only a sophomore. That inexperience has a negative side, too, as he had about four drops Friday night that should have been catches.

Something that will come with more reps is the timing between junior quarterback Adam Morse and his receivers. In addition to some miscommunication on routes, Morse threw behind his targets on a few occasions. He would complete 11-of-22 passes for 182 yards and two scores.

What went well for West Brook:

Junior receiver Keith Corbin had himself a day. In addition to being offered by Texas Tech (which joins Ole Miss), he hauled in five catches for 80 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown. Speedy and elusive, Corbin showed skills deep and making the first guy miss for significant YAC. Easy to see why he’s a D-I prospect.

While physical running back Demarcus Smith is the Bruins’ starter, Flanigan has another weapon in junior Cameron McKinney. Thanks to an extremely fast first step, McKinney ran his way to 41 yards and a score on six carries. Behind that massive offensive line, the West Brook rushing attack should lead the way this season.

The offense’s up-tempo style looked very smooth at times. Quick passes coupled with solid runs made for a nice offensive rhythm in the first quarter.

What didn’t go so well:

The West Brook secondary got beat a few times by a potent PN-G passing attack. Now, it should be noted that the Bruins were wearing random jersey number, so it was hard to tell when the West Brook defensive starters were playing. Regardless, Indian receivers were getting open even if the pass attempt resulted in a drop or underthrow on some occasions.

With such an advantage up front, the West Brook rushing attack never really broke one for a big gain. As noted earlier, the biggest Bruin rush was for 12 yards.

Junior quarterback Justin Essex started the game 7-of-9 for 50 yards and a touchdown. He came back later and completed 2-of-3 (both to Corbin) for 44 yards and a score. Solid night for Essex.